Syxtomis. 



93 



the latter marked with a large and small black spot on each segment ; head red. It feeds on 

 Ornitlwpns pcrpusillus and Coronilla minima. The moth is figured at PI. 21, Fig. 13. (Z. Batica, 

 Ramb., from Andalusia, differs from Fausta, in wanting the pale lines on the thorax and in the 

 narrower red belt of the abdomen. It appears in April and September, and the larva feeds on 

 Coronilla juncea. Z. Hilaris, Ochs., from South France and Spain, has a white instead of a red 

 collar, and the white lines on the thorax and the red ring round the abdomen are wanting.) 



26. Z. LcBta (Hiibn.). — Wings, collar, and abdomen orange-red ; fore-wings with the hind margin 

 and the outside of the inner margin bluish-black, and two spots of the same colour before and 

 beyond the middle ; abdomen black at the base and tip ; the club of the antennae is rather long, 

 and ends in a blunt point. In the variety Manncrhcimii (Chard.), from the Ural, the wings 

 are almost wholly red. Expands about i inch. It is found in South-Eastern Europe as far 

 north as Moravia. Larva bluish-white, with whitish stripes on the back and sides, and a row 

 of white spots above the latter ; head black. It feeds on Eryngiiim campestrc. The moth is 

 figured at PI. 21, Fig. 14. 



FAMILY v.— SYNTOMID^. 



Rather small moths with slender bodies covered with scales, and broad triangular dark fore- 

 wings with transparent spots, and small hind-wings ; the abdomen extends considerably beyond 

 the latter. The antennje are long and thread-like, the palpi small, the eyes naked, and the tongue 

 spiral. The legs are slender and free from hair ; the front tibiae are furnished with a leaf-like 

 appendage, and the hind tibias have four spurs. The larvs have sixteen legs, and are furnished 

 with warts covered with tufts of hair. They hybernate as larvae, and undergo their transforma- 

 tions in a loose cocoon. The genus Syntomis is very extensive, supplying the place of Zygcena in 

 the tropics of the Old World. The two commonest European species of this family, S. Phegea 

 and Naclia Ancilla, have occasionally been taken in England; but it is still uncertain whether 

 either of them can be considered truly indigenous. 



GENUS I. — SYNTOMIS (LATR.). 



Hind margin of the fore -wings longer than the inner margin ; hind-wings with only one 

 internal nervure ; all the wings with white transparent spots. The commonest European species, 

 S. Phegea (Linn.), is bluish-black, with one transparent spot at the base of the fore-wings, two in 

 the middle, and three nearer the tip ; hind-wings with two or three spots ; abdomen with yellow 

 belts at the base and in the middle ; antennae black, with white tips. Varieties occur in which 

 some or all the spots are absent. Expands i|- inches, or more. Common throughout Southern 

 Europe (except Spain) and Northern and Western Asia. It appears in June and July in glades 

 in woods, and likes to settle on the flowers of the thyme and lavender. It is widely distributed 

 north of the Alps, but its distribution in Western Europe is very sporadic ; Holland, Belgium, 

 Brunswick, and Kreuznach may be mentioned as localities. In France it appears to be confined 

 to the extreme south-east. The larva is black, with thick, feathery hair, of uniform length 

 on the back. It feeds on dandelion, scabious, and other low plants in April and May. The 

 moth is figured at PI. 21, Fig. 15. S. Caspia (Stand.), from Astrachan, is smaller, with uni- 

 colorous black antennce, and only one fpot on the hind-wings ; and a triangular yellow spot on 

 the 1st segment of the abdomen; otherwise as in Plicgea. In 5. Antiochejia (Led), from Syria 

 and Eubcea, the male differs from that of Phegea in having only one large round spot on the 

 hind-wings, which fills up the whole cell ; and the wings of the female are imperfectly developed. 



